


Memories of You: When the Past Comes Back to Love You

by Fun2beme1



Series: Memories of You [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Complete, F/M, Some Swearing, mild sexual themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fun2beme1/pseuds/Fun2beme1
Summary: I have a problem. It's how quickly people throw around the accusation of an OOC character. In my opinion, unless you strictly fashion your fanfiction to model a character specifically how the original creator wrote them you kind of have to go OOC. Whether the character falls in love quicker than character, whether you give them some extra super power that fits the narrative to your story, or make them a little more aggressive and edgy than they appear in the original work, you are in fact going OOC. There is no way around it. If you don't then you are just regurgitating what the original author has already done, and why bother writing the fanfic in the first place? That's the point, right? To get the characters out of their predetermined boxes? To let them explore via your pen? Let them spread their wings a bit? GO FOR IT! Most of all, have fun.Levi goes OOC rather quickly in this story. The fact of the matter is that he's bombarded with a slew of unfamiliar and otherwise thought denied to him emotions right off the bat. The idea that his self-deprecating attitude doesn't serve him, and that he can be happy is so foreign to him, that he kind of becomes drunk on love once he's pretty much waylaid by it. He pushes hard and fast because he really has zero ability to distinguish the concept of love and what he's feeling from the simple fact that he is just recognizing the possibilities. Based on the many interviews I've read, it is all too apparent. He's no different than any other guy out there. Problem is, he has no self value. Because of this, he really thinks this is out of his reach. He feels, he hurts, he wants what we want. (Canon, he is the most sexually repressed character in this particular universe; so if that doesn't tell you anything about his inner workings nothing will)It doesn't look like he's going to get a chance to be brave emotionally, or happy in the anime or manga. I will be ecstatic if I'm wrong. But until then, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and give this man what he deserves. Love.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/OC
Series: Memories of You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781143
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> I have a problem. It's how quickly people throw around the accusation of an OOC character. In my opinion, unless you strictly fashion your fanfiction to model a character specifically how the original creator wrote them you kind of have to go OOC. Whether the character falls in love quicker than character, whether you give them some extra super power that fits the narrative to your story, or make them a little more aggressive and edgy than they appear in the original work, you are in fact going OOC. There is no way around it. If you don't then you are just regurgitating what the original author has already done, and why bother writing the fanfic in the first place? That's the point, right? To get the characters out of their predetermined boxes? To let them explore via your pen? Let them spread their wings a bit? GO FOR IT! Most of all, have fun.
> 
> Levi goes OOC rather quickly in this story. The fact of the matter is that he's bombarded with a slew of unfamiliar and otherwise thought denied to him emotions right off the bat. The idea that his self-deprecating attitude doesn't serve him, and that he can be happy is so foreign to him, that he kind of becomes drunk on love once he's pretty much waylaid by it. He pushes hard and fast because he really has zero ability to distinguish the concept of love and what he's feeling from the simple fact that he is just recognizing the possibilities. Based on the many interviews I've read, it is all too apparent. He's no different than any other guy out there. Problem is, he has no self value. Because of this, he really thinks this is out of his reach. He feels, he hurts, he wants what we want. (Canon, he is the most sexually repressed character in this particular universe; so if that doesn't tell you anything about his inner workings nothing will)
> 
> It doesn't look like he's going to get a chance to be brave emotionally, or happy in the anime or manga. I will be ecstatic if I'm wrong. But until then, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and give this man what he deserves. Love.

"Captain Levi?" His door creaks open and a soldier peeks his head in.

He looks up from his work distractedly, and ushers the messenger in.

"Yes?"

"There's a woman at the 11th stairwell with a box she claims is for you." The soldier shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot awaiting his response.

"So? Get it and bring it here." He goes back to his work, signalling the soldier to leave.

"They tried. She said she'll only deliver it to you."

He snaps his head back up with a look that causes the soldier to jump nervously. He gets up from his seat, clenched fists on his table, and leans towards the poor gentleman.

"Just take... the fucking thing... by force", he growls out; annoyed and just wanting to get back to work.

"Sir, she says it was your mother's......"

Suddenly unable to stand, he drops back to his chair; staring down at his desk. The moments tick by, as Levi tries to calm his racing heart. He looks up slowly.

"Send her a carriage."


	2. Part Two

Pacing nervously, Levi anxiously looks at the clock for about the hundredth time.

'It's been a half an hour, why the fuck is this taking so long?' He takes a deep breath.

'Alright, you need to calm the fuck down. You can handle this, Levi.' He glances at the clock again.

'What could this woman possibly have that belonged to mom?'

He swings around with a flash of panic when the knock on his door finally arrives.

'You can handle this Levi.' With sweaty palms and the sound of his own heart booming in his ears, he opens the door.

The woman walks in wrestling with the box, and sets it on the nearest table; turning to look at him.

The moments pass with agonizing slowness as they size each other up, and the silent tension between them builds. Inquisitive, friendly blue eyes meet his own.

"Can I ask how you came about this?" He asks hesitantly.

"My mother." Her voice is soft and melodious, and sends a ripple of nostalgia through his heart. Curious about this, but admittedly more so regarding the box, he dismisses this for the moment.

"And it came to your mother how?"

"She was Kuchel's friend. She would visit occasionally, although you were a more constant visitor. I do remember you, vaguely." A slight blush tinges her cheeks at this admission, and he feels that ripple again; stronger this time. It's almost painful, and he has to grip the chair next to him momentarily.

"How did they know each other?"

"My mom owned a vegetable stand. She gave you food when there was left overs at the end of the day. Is the interrogation over yet?"

He can feel it, some vague recognition, just below yhr surface of memory. Ignoring it for now, he asks his next question. "So why did she send you instead?"

"She died years ago." They stare in silence at each other for a long time before he turns towards the box.

"My sympathies." He says absently, opening the box.

Trinkets, odds and ends, mom's tea set; he places them all gently on the table. Halfway through the box, he finds some portraits and begins to go through them slowly.

The first sends a jolt of pain through his heart. It's his mother. She's sitting at a window looking out, her hands folded in her lap.

"Who drew these?" He asks, glancing at her.

"My mom."

Saying nothing more, he picks up the next picture. Two infants, one blonde and one raven haired are asleep in a crib. The raven haired infant has his arm draped protectively over the blonde and his mouth is open; a little sliver of drool leaking out the corner.

Looking over his shoulder, she laughs. It's a surprisingly big sound coming out of this diminutive lady, and much to his annoyance; he finds it rather endearing. 'Why are you still here?' he thinks, wanting to be alone with these memories, yet hoping deep down she stays.

"That's you, drool-face."

He rolls his eyes. "I assume you are the one I'm about to drool on?"

"Yeah, that's me."

He grabs another picture. Him and mom. He's got a death grip on her nose and is squealing with laughter.

Another one slightly older and again, sleeping. Again, protecting the little girl in his sleep. Well, at least he's not drooling.

"Tch. How many pictures of us cuddling did your mother deem necessary to draw?"

She laughs heartily at this. "Do you realize this makes me the first girl you ever slept with?"

He jumps, startled at the bold joke and rolls his eyes. 'ONLY girl I ever slept with.' he thinks to himself.

"Well that makes me your first, too. Go brag about it why don't you?" He says absently, looking at another picture. In it he's holding her hand and pulling her along to an unknown destination. The stuffed horse she's carrying is dragging in the mud.

"Yeah right, if anyone knew I had a connection to you, I'd be a mark for sure. The underground isn't a big fan of soldiers if you recall. Just be happy you're at least SOMEONE'S dirty secret, Captain."

"Just Levi, please." He mutters, lost in thought.

He's silent for a long time, staring at the table and lost in thought. 'Why did she bring this to me, and why did she bring it now? Can I trust her? It's strange, but I feel like I can. I can't let her go back to that shit hole.....'

'God, why do I even care?'

He looks up at her suddenly, eyes blazing.

"You're not going back."


	3. Part Three

"What?" She steps back, shocked. "You don't get to decide that!"

"I already did." He grabs her arm, and drags her out of his quarters and down the hall. She pulls vainly against him, but he's way stronger and she feels like a small child being towed by a very angry parent.

"No!" She says with a last ditch effort of breaking free.

"I'm not allowing you to go back, not after this."

"THAT'S NOT UP TO YOU!!" She yells, and looks helplessly at several shocked cadets standing in the hall. They are no help, and turn shocked and blushing away from her plight.

Erwins Quarters:

The door bursts open, startling Erwin.

"What...you look at a bunch of baby pictures and think it's your duty to pick up where you left off and protect me? I don't need you to protect me. Get...off..me...NOW!" She demands, trying vainly to escape his grasp.

"Levi! What on earth is going on here? Who is this?" Erwin looks from one to the other in bewilderment.

Levi turns to her, suddenly embarrassed by the realization that he doesn't even know her name.

"What's your name?" He asks, face flaming with shame.

She looks at him in stunned silence and then at Erwin, pleading with her eyes.

Erwin turns to her. "What is your name?"

"Heather."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I came to give Levi some possessions of his mothers. With that concluded, I would like to go back to the underground please."

"Why on earth would you want to go back there?" Erwin asks, genuinely curious.

"That's where my life is. I don't belong here." She says, finally yanking her hand from his.

Erwin sighs and then looks up at Levi. "Please explain yourself."

'Fuck,' he thinks, inwardly panicking about the whole situation. The moments tick by in silence and finally Erwin speaks.

"Take her home Levi. I want to speak to you upon your return."

Walking silently side by side, Levi steals a few glances along the way. 'I wish I remembered you, I really do.' he thinks, taking in her features and committing them to memory. 'Did you always have this steely resolve? This headstrong attitude? Were you always this pretty to me?' Shaking his head at the annoying thought, he sighs. They have reached the stairwell.

"Let me walk you the rest of the way."

"I'll be fine Levi, go home."

He grabs her hand suddenly, and steps closer. "Are you afraid to be seen with me?"

"Yes."

The silence between them drags out until he can't take it anymore.

"Have you ever lost a big part of your childhood? No? I sincerely don't think you know how it feels especially to have that childhood come back unexpected and fill you with complicated feelings." Letting go of her hand reluctantly, he walks away.

He stops frozen at the sound of her voice.

"You're wrong. I lost you."

He turns to look at her, wanting to say more but not knowing what. She's gone.

Erwin's Office:

"Mind explaining what that was all about?" Erwin asks casually, glancing up from his paperwork.

"I don't know how to explain it. I just don't want to lose her again, I-"

"Her?"

"The memories, I-"

"You said 'her', Levi. You said you didn't want to lose 'her'."

"I-" He sits lost in thought. 'Does this matter to me because of the memories? Or is it her? Both? I think yes. Not just because of what the pictures tell me, but I feel like she was once very special to me, and apparently special to her, too.'

'can I have that back?'

'Is it really possible?'

"Erwin, I was hoping to get her into the scouts."

"You don't want to lose her, so your solution is to sign her up for a death sentence? Levi, think."

'He's right...fuck I'm an idiot.'

"I can sponsor her. She can run her mother's business aboveground."

"Maybe. It beats me having to explain another mouth to feed. Good luck convincing her, she seems quite content to stay put."

"I'll convince her."

"Better ask yourself why this is so important to you while you're at it. You're dismissed."

Re-entering his quarters, Levi heads straight back to the box. He goes through the portraits again one at a time, and then brings them to his desk. 'I should get frames for these', he thinks and turns to the large pile of invoices currently awaiting his review. He leans back in his chair suddenly and looks up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

'why does this matter so much to me? I've got more important things to think about than some woman who knew me as a child. Thanks for the memories, you're on your own.'

Focusing back on his work, he glances from time to time at the picture on top. They're sitting on her porch, shoulder to shoulder. Gazing at each other, they're blushing and laughing.

'you were happy once, Levi. Don't you want to know how that feels again?'

'Hardly worth the effort.' he thinks with a yawn.

"Hey Heather!"

She looks up, smiling brightly. "Hi Levi!" She's sitting on her porch as he weaves his way through a group of adults, jumping occasionally to get a glimpse of her. This makes her giggle.

He can't really see himself, but he knows he's about three, or maybe four. Arriving at her porch, he's struck with an unfathomable wave of emotion. 'Gosh, she's pretty.' Shaking his head at the thought, he sits on the porch beside her.

"Guess what? Mom told me one day we get to get married and I get to run your mom's vegetable stand with you!" He states proudly.

"No we're not!"

"Are too!"

"Oh yeah?" She says, smiling sweetly. "Go ahead and ask me."

"Really??" His eyes widen in anticipation.

She nods, waiting for him to speak.

Looking at her bashfully, he gulps and draws a deep breath. "Will you marry me?"

"No."

"You were SUPPOSED to say yes! Hey! wanna go play tag?"

"I can't. Mom will be calling me in for chores soon."

"I can help!"

"Okay."

Stiff necked and groggy, Levi wakes up and looks around confused for a minute. 'I fell asleep at my desk. Again.' Getting up, he pours himself a cup of tea and leans against the counter. He tries to recall the dream he just had, and concludes it was actually a memory. He can't help but grin though, 'did I really want to marry that brat? Tch.'


	4. Part Four

"Hello."

She turns abruptly at the sound of his voice. Eyeing him warily she turns back to her customer. "Hello, Levi."

He waits for her to conclude her business before speaking again, instead taking a moment to just gaze at her. He can see the childhood version of her there still. At least, what his late night memories have told him. The light dusting of freckles on her nose, the amused tilt at the corner of her mouth that seems perpetual and that big jolly laugh! Just listen to it! There is nothing lady like about that sound, and fuck does he love it!

Finally, he has her attention, and he realizes he doesn't know where to start.

"Okay, please let me talk. Do you want to know what happened to me when I went away?"

She doesn't answer, instead giving a tiny nod and taking a seat behind her booth. He follows suit, and takes her hands in his. Taking a deep breath, he begins to talk........

20 minutes later:

She looks at him wide-eyed, trying to process everything he just told her. A million questions crowd her head and all she can do is just sigh, too full of emotion to begin.

"Kenny?"

"Yes."

"As in Kenny the Ripper?"

"The one and only."

"But why? Why would he take you away, of all people?"

He shrugs. "Beats me. Probably tired of being a miserable shit all by his lonesome."

"Oh Levi..." She begins, reaching out to cup his face in her hand. He reaches out and clasps her hand gratefully, kissing the palm briefly before continuing. Embarrassed by his own affection, he clears his throat and glances away for a moment before turning back to her earnestly.

"What I'm trying to say Heather, is all my life I thought misery and shit were all I was worth and all I deserved. I thought the only purpose for me was dealing death and being alone. Then you came along. You reminded me that isn't true. There was a time in my life that I was happy, that I had some value to somebody. Other than mom, the only person I ever cared about was you. Well, Farlan and Isabel, but at any rate is it wrong of me to want that back? Don't I have a right to be happy, too?"

"Of course you do." She responds in a small voice, looking down at the ground. He tilts her chin, so he can look in her eyes.

"I have a hard time connecting with people because of this. I'd like to think I'm self-aware enough to know this, and the shitty way I tend to make people feel because of it isn't okay. But yet, I continue. It's who I am. It's not who I can be though, and I feel like the chance to be happy isn't something I should turn away from. It would be downright foolish, in fact. That is one thing I most definitely am not. It's been three weeks since you brought that box, and I haven't gone through the whole thing yet. Honestly, I'm a bit scared to. Not just because the memories of my mom are so painful, but because I'm scared of how I feel. Downright terrified. But yet, here I am. I can't stay away. I don't want to stay away. We both know what living down here means. Why won't you come with me?"

"Levi, if you being happy means I have to give up everything I have here that makes ME happy is that really fair? I don't have to leave my life behind for both of us to be happy."

"But you don't! I-"

"What's this Heather, making time with scouts? Do you really think that's wise?" A fat, slovenly man leers over them; reeking of alchohol. "Is this do-gooder bothering you? Maybe I should send him on his way." Several of his buddies stand in a semi circle around them, laughing.

"Joseph Eadley, enough!" She says, standing up to meet him. "You're drunk, as usual. Go home!"

Levi bursts into gales of laughter. "Joseph Eadley? Oh I remember you. Bully, and a miserable piece of shit. You're looking a little worse for wear these days...." He snorts laughter and stands up, looking at the man in contempt.

"Who the fuck are you, half pint?" He no more than gets the sentence out, and he's face first on the ground; several teeth in a puddle of blood and saliva before him. His friends approach menacingly.

"Levi, stop! This isn't helping!"

They hesitate, looking at each other with growing unease.

"C-c-captain Levi? THE Captain Levi?" One of them stammers, and they all back away. Apparently defending their friends' honor isn't all too important.

Joseph gets shakily to his feet, loses his balance and falls smartly onto his rump. His second attempt fares better, and he slowly backs away. "Yeah, how could I forget a pipsqueak like you? What Heather ever saw in you, I will never know." With that, he shamefully stumbles away.

"Damn it Levi!"

He turns to look at her, and immediately away. The anger on her face hurts him, especially as he knows he deserves it. Vegetables lie smashed all over the ground. He backs away, unable to deal with the look on her face.

"I'm sorry..."

He slams the door to his quarters, throwing himself into his chair; hands covering his face.

"Fuck!" He groans into his hands and looks up at the ceiling. He has never felt so much like an idiot in his damn life!

"I just want her to be safe, for fuck sake and that little incident proves she's not." Slamming his fist on his desk, he gets up to make tea.

"You're the dumbass that went down there in the first place. Now those assholes are going to spread word. What the fuck are you going to do about that you selfish asshole?" Taking his tea back to his desk, he sits and contemplates the situation.

"I guess I'm going to have to make myself a permanent fixture, let the underground thugs know making her a mark will be their worse possible decision..." Looking up, he realizes he had never finished going through the box. Needing to take his mind off the problem for a while he gets up and starts rummaging through the remainder of his mom's possessions. He pulls out some clothes, a small jewelry box and a letter. 'Was mom ever married?' he wonders and immediately dismisses the thought, setting the box aside. Opening the letter, he begins reading it and the blood drains from his face.

'you have got to be kidding me....'


	5. Part Five

A couple hours have passed, and Levi sits at his desk re-reading the letter a final time. Sitting back, he drums his fingers on his desk slowly.  
"She's not going to like this one bit. Hell, I'm not completely sure about how I feel about this either...." Smirking to himself, he grabs the letter and heads for the underground.  
Jolted awake Heather runs for the door concerned, but also a little irritated. It's 12AM, who the fuck? She opens the door and Levi brushes past, inviting himself in.  
"Oh please", she states sarcastically. "Come on in. My house is your house."  
He laughs outright at her statement, and sits at her kitchen table.  
"Levi, why are you here?"  
"How much do you know about the contents of that box?"  
"The pictures are the only thing I ever saw, why?"  
"Did your mother ever talk about it?"  
"Just that I would see it's contents when I turned eighteen."  
"You didn't think that to be strange? Did you see it then?"  
"No. I forgot all about it until I found it in the attic, and returned it to you immediately....Levi, what is this about?"  
He places the letter on the table, and she finally sits; giving him a questioning look.  
"Read it for yourself.", He invites, watching her intently.  
She reads through it, saying nothing until she has read it twice. Pushing it across the table to him, she crosses her arms and shakes her head.  
"Arranged marriage is not legally binding, Levi."  
"But a will is...."  
"So what, Levi! We are the only two who saw this. Nothing in it needs to be followed."  
"Both our parents signatures are on this. I am named a co-beneficiary to this house, and the family business. We should have been married years ago."  
She gets up and storms out of the kitchen, yelling as she goes. "Get out. I don't want to talk about this again. Ever."  
He catches up to her in the family room, and pulls her up against the wall. He pins her, and forces her to look him in the eyes.  
"We'll talk about this now." She doesn't respond, so he begins again; speaking with deliberate calm.  
"I think you DID know about this, and that's the real reason you waited so long to return this shit to me."  
"Furthermore, you hoped I'd be titan food by now, and you could avoid this altogether."  
"That's dumb, Levi. Believe me, if I saw this letter I would have destroyed it years ago. Also. I imagine my mom's ring is in that box as well. THAT I want back!"  
Cupping her face in his hands he leans in closer, giving her a playful smirk.  
"I'll give it to you when you're ready to wear it for me."  
"You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!" Jerking out of his grasp, she makes to move around him but he again blocks her way. "We barely remember each other! Do you Seriously fucking WANT this?"  
"I was joking, Heather. But to answer your question, I don't know what I want. All I know is you've dropped some very overwhelming shit into my lap over the past few weeks and I don't know how to process it all. Putting it all into perspective with everything else has been complicated. I want you to fit into my life again. I can honestly say I like the idea of being happy. I really don't care what that means for us right now. I..." He chuckles suddenly. "Do you remember when I asked you to marry me?"  
She's lost in thought for a moment, before her eyes widen and she claps her hands over her mouth. She bursts into laughter with a tiny snort at the end that causes him to erupt into amused chuckles.  
"Oh god! You were so disappointed when I said no!"  
"Yeah, I was. I was so sure you'd say yes to me. Mom said it, so it must have been true. You know? I wanted it to be true....I can see us now, a dozen little brats running around, picking vegetables...." He gives her a playful grin.  
"A dozen? Oh hell no! And I can imagine YOU fat and balding...."   
He laughs at the thought and pulls her close. "You are still radiant as ever."  
"Levi, we couldn't have been more than four at the time. Why would you care about such things?"  
He shrugs, and moves in closer to stroke her face with the backs of his fingers. Nuzzling in to her with breath tickling her ear he speaks quietly, forcing her to pay attention to his words.  
"I cared. Life didn't care about my feelings, though. It was not too long after that mom took sick. But I did love you, too much for a little boy to understand. Did you not care for me too? Tell me."  
She takes so long to answer that a worm of unease has found it's way into his belly, causing him to back away uncertainly.   
"You were my best friend. Of course I cared about you..."  
"But you didn't love me?"  
"Levi, please...I was just a little girl."  
Feeling like he's been hit by a titan's fist, he slowly backs away.   
"Alright.", he manages to choke out and turns on his heel to leave.

"What made you think you had any business being happy anyway, dumbass. FUCK! What the fuck is the point of any of this if all it brings is pain anyway?" He qrowls, stomping back towards the barracks angrily.  
"Love doesn't give a fuck about your feelings anymore than the pain does Levi. You have to make it worth risking the pain. Is it?"  
He turns around startled, and finds Hanji leaning against the tree by the entrance. She walks over to join him continuing to talk, and they sit at one of the benches at the entrance.  
"Well? Does the promise of being happy outweigh the potential pain?"  
He gives it some thought before answering.  
"Yes."  
"Then don't let one setback stop you. She'll come around. Do you love her?"  
He sighs, and looks away for a moment before continuing. "She's special to me. I loved her more than a child my age should have. It hurt to hear that her feelings were not the same. I want her to be a part of my life again, I want to feel that way for her again, and I want her to want that too."  
"It doesn't work that way. Levi, you're pushing too hard. You can't force it or it will only ever mean something to you, if it even really does. You don't want it to be one-sided."  
"I caused her some trouble in the underground today, and I don't want her alone. I will be spending my nights there from now on."  
"Levi! Did you hear anything I just said? Did you discuss it with her?" Hanji throws her hands up and walks away, stopping when she gets to the entrance. "This is not a captain/soldier situation. This is you on equal terms with someone. You need to treat her as such, and from the sound of it, you're not."   
"Hanji, why would I forget her? Of all the things in my life, why something as good as this?"  
She sighs, and with a look of sympathy comes back to sit beside him for a moment. "Maybe subconciously these memories were locked away because you didn't want them tainted by the shit your life became. You have this gift back now. Treasure it. Don't destroy it by forcing her down a path she isn't ready to go. Levi, you certainly ain't ready either."  
With that, she heads inside not waiting for a response.

"You can be the daddy", she says thrusting her dolly into his open arms.  
"Okay", he replies amicably. He rocks the dolly and looks up at her. "Now what?"  
"I cook supper."  
"Do we kiss?"  
"Ew Levi, no!" She says, giggling. "You have to give baby a bath, then we read her a story and she goes to bed."  
"THEN do we kiss?"  
"No!"  
He looks up at her grumpily. "Mommies and daddies kiss ALL the time."  
"They do not!"  
"Do too!"  
"What on earth are you two arguing about?" Her mom walks into the kitchen, looking from one to the other with kind, amused eyes.  
"Levi wants to kiss me!"  
Chuckling, she ushers the two out of the kitchen. "Honestly you two, go outside you're giving me a headache."  
"I do NOT want to kiss you!" He sidemouths at her while heading for the door.   
"Yes you do." She giggles and they walk outside.  
"Hey look!" Levi says, pointing at a gentleman leaving the brothel he and his mother live at. "That's the man who visited mom today!"  
"She sure gets a lot of visitors. What do they do?"  
"I listened at the door once, it sounded like they were hurting her, but then they gave her money and she was happy so...I don't know."  
"What? Grown-ups are so weird!" She says with wide-eyed wonder.  
"Yeah, tell me about it..." He stands on the porch lost in thought for a moment before continuing. "CAN I kiss you?"  
She jumps in alarm and backs away a few steps. "No! Gosh Levi, why would you wanna do that? That's how babies happen!"  
He stares at her in round eyed amazement, shaking his head in disbelief. "Really? You're sure??"  
She nods smartly. "You bet!"  
"Well...I wanna kiss you anyway!" Seeing her look of horror, he quickly amends. "Just on the cheek! Not on the lips, gosh!"  
"Well...okay...but we have to hide. I do NOT want anyone to see this!" They walk around to the side of the house, where a huge patch of light from a hole to the aboveground looks over her mother's garden. Gulping nervously he swoops in on her, taking her fully by surprise. She jumps back and covers her mouth quickly, before his lips can connect.  
"You SAID on the cheek, Levi!"  
"I got excited! Here, let me try again." He quickly pecks her cheek, and pulls back. His face is as red as a tomato. They stare at each other in stunned silence. "Are you going to kiss me back?"  
"No way!" She cries indignantly, and hits him on the arm before running away. "Tag, Levi! You're it!"  
Waking with a chuckle, Levi heads for the shower. Finishing quickly, he heads down to the training grounds, ready to get this day over with.


	6. Part 6

"Stop being so fucking happy Levi, it's terrifying."  
He turns to Miche with a roll of his eyes. "That's good Miche, seriously. Why don't you quit the scouts? Take that routine to the streets?"  
"The crowds would love me, right?"  
"They'd be raiding Heather's vegetable stand for shit to throw at you."  
"I can have Hanji do a little dance for my opening act." Miche says staring in mock dreaminess off into the distance.  
"Jesus, they'd throw the whole fucking cart at you, Miche."  
Miche throws his head back and laughs heartily. "Now look who's the comedian! Shit Levi, this little lady has worked wonders on you hasn't she?" With that, he turns back to the cadets. "Hey! Try that counterpoint again, that looked like shit!"  
"She's a stubborn brat. She-"  
"If you two are quite finished, maybe you can turn your attention to your jobs." Erwin gives them a quick stern glance, then turns on his heel walking away. Giving him a confused look, Levi turns back to watch the cadets.  
"Don't let him bother you Levi. Whatever stick is currently inhabiting his ass will go away eventually. What's your status?"  
"My status? I don't know what you mean."  
"Are you two getting intimate? Or is she just a friend?" He takes a deep sniff. "Well, you still smell like a virgin...."  
"What the fuck, Miche? Seriously? You ASK me that? And fuck you."  
Miche opens his mouth to give a smart ass response, only to get slapped upside the head by Hanji.  
"Now, now. Don't be giving him any of YOUR bad advice. Levi is fucking this up brilliantly on his own."  
"All I want is to pretend this conversation never happened, you assholes." Levi spits in disgust. "And what do you expect me to do Hanji? Stand back and let her forget all about me again?"  
"Of course not. But you can't expect her to just drop her life and run into your arms either. It's been years. Back off."  
"Wait...seriously Levi? You ARE moving way too fast!"  
"It's NOT LIKE THAT! FUCK!" The cadets stop to stare at him in awe, but his glare sends them scuttling back to their training. He sighs, and lowers his voice. "I love how this feels. I love waking up in the morning with a fucking smile. Hell, I actually love smiling. It's strange, it feels weird but I love it. That's her. That's what she brought me. The underground isn't a place for happiness and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay her back by letting her rot in that shithole. I love the idea that I can love her again. The idea that it's possible. What's so fucking wrong with that?" He says, storming off to his quarters.

"Levi what are you doing here?" She looks from the pack and paperwork he's holding to his face in confusion.  
"Are you going to let me in?"  
She steps back hesitantly watching him set everything on the kitchen table.  
"Levi?"  
He turns to her with a grin. "Where do I sleep?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Sleep.", He enunciates slowly. "Close my eyes and rest at the end of the day Heather."  
"Not here! Go home Levi!"  
"I beg to differ Heather, half mine. Where do I sleep?"  
"You're such an asshole!"  
He doesn't answer, just stares at her and waits patiently.  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
"Making sure you're safe at night."  
She rolls her eyes and stomps off to the rear of the house. "You're impossible!"  
Grinning he follows and stops at the first bedroom he sees. "How about here?" He asks with a lift of his eyebrow.  
"That's my room! You can sleep down the hall."  
Ignoring her he walks into the room, slowly looking around. "Big bed for such a little girl..." he turns to her grinning widely at her blush  
"And you're not big enough of a man to fill it Levi. Get out of my room!" She growls, poking her finger into his chest with every word.  
Laughing, Levi walks out. "No wonder you're single Heather."  
Furious she storms after him. "Oh yeah, well let's take a look at why you're still single Levi! You have all the personality of titan crap!"  
"Titans don't crap Heather."  
"Exactly! You have no personality!"  
"Huh, I guess that means we're perfect for each other." He says, shutting his bedroom door in her face.  
Groaning in frustration she storms back to her room, slamming the door behind her.  
Coming out of his room a half hour later Levi sits at the kitchen table to get some work done. 'Is she ever coming out of there?' Rolling his eyes he brushes the thought off and continues to work.  
One hour later:  
He raises his head curiously at the clumsy noise coming from down the hall. 'She's finally coming out? Good. Can't avoid me forever.'  
Again comes the noise, closer than the first and an ear splitting screech.  
Shit! Paperwork forgotten, Levi dashes down the hall and is grabbed from behind.  
"Hello Captain.", the man behind him snarls and Levi steps back grabbing the man and throwing him over his head. Not sparing him another second he dashes into Heather's room to find her up against the wall, clutching at her assailants hands futilely. Furious he charges in and pulls the man off of her. Chopping his hand into the man's throat he kicks his legs out from under him, turns and sweeping high kicks the man who has just entered the room in the face. He grabs them both by the collars, pulling them out of her room. "Lock the door!" he growls and she complies, terrified by the sounds of the scuffle right outside her door. It only lasts for a couple minutes and then all goes silent.  
"Levi?" she calls out softly.  
No answer.  
She creeps towards the door cautiously, broom in hand.  
"Levi?"  
The door creaks open...  
WHACK  
"Ow fuck woman!"  
"Levi!" Dropping the broom she rushes to help him up.  
"Levi I'm so sorry!"  
Standing up he grabs her by the arms, with pure fury in his eyes as he's pushing her backwards onto the bed. Pinning her down he puts his face directly into hers.  
"This is exactly why I'm here!"  
"Do you think they would have tried this if you would have stayed away like I asked you to in the first place?" She snaps back, still sore about him being here.  
"ENOUGH! Are you dense? I'm not going anywhere Heather, whether it is my fault or not I'm not leaving you alone!"  
"Levi..."  
"Heather shut up. I don't want to be alone anymore and I don't want you to be either. Deal with it."  
His gaze softens and he rolls off of her, pulling the blankets over the top of them both.  
Too tired and scared to argue about the current sleeping arrangements, she rolls over to go to sleep.  
Levi chuckles softly turning to face her.  
"Hey Heather."  
"Yeah?"  
"Looks like I AM big enough to be in your bed."  
"Shut up Levi."


	7. Part 7

The noise and bustle of the underground surrounds him. Adults the size of titans to a young child's eyes walk past him hurrying to their adult destinations. He spots her playing tag with a group of kids and walks over, grabbing her by the arm.  
"Mine!" His little toddler voice sounds out firmly, and drags her away from the fun. She pulls back protesting.  
"Levi,my dolly!"  
He looks back, noting the horse dragging in the mud. Walking into her small house, he grabs the horse and proceeds to the kitchen. Pushing a stool to the sink, he begins washing it.  
"Levi! Come now, you're making a mess." (It's his mother's voice.) Drying the horse with the little towel he found in a basket under the sink he hands it back to her, blushing and proud.  
"All better.", he says. She smiles gratefully and gives him a hug, causing him to blush further.  
"Gosh."  
2am:  
Levi opens his eyes. Smiling he looks at the woman curled up against him. She looks so peaceful, and there's a little smile on her face. Wanting to stay, but knowing that he should get up and get some work done, he kisses the top of her head and quietly slips out of bed.

Walking in the door that evening, all is silent. Making a quick sweep of the house and noting no evidence that anyone has attempted to break in again, Levi walks into the kitchen. Taking a moment to watch her, he leans against the door frame.  
'you are the most frustrating, wonderful, headstrong, annoying, beautiful bitch I've ever known....'  
"Oi."  
She turns from her scrubbing, startled. Blowing a lock of hair from her forehead, she turns back to her work.  
"Oh how fun, my roomate is home."  
Rolling his eyes, he kneels down next to her. "What are you doing?"  
"Cleaning. Isn't it obvious?"  
"You're not doing it right." He says, taking the rag from her to demonstrate. "Wring it out like-"  
She yanks the rag from his grasp, spraying him with droplets of dirty water. "Grab your own rag and take your anal retentive cleaning habits somewhere else." Turning her back, she continues cleaning.  
"You are such a bitch, I swear." Shaking his head, he grabs a rag.  
"And you're a pushy jerk who thinks he's entitled to my time."   
Throwing his rag down in disgust, he goes to the family room and sits thinking.  
'Fuck. This is going great. Maybe I should just leave the dumb bitch to her fate.' Startled by the loud bang of the front door Levi starts to get up, but stops himself quickly. 'Let her go, dumbass.'  
'She might get herself mugged, what about that?'  
'Only because of you, you blundering moron. You and your 'entitlement' to her time.'  
Tossing his paperwork onto the chair next to him, he gets up and walks into the kitchen. She's out in her garden, he can just see her shadow spread out behind her. Breathing a sigh of relief, he starts rummaging through the cupboards for something to eat.  
'being miserable and angry all the time sure as fuck is a lot easier than whatever the fuck I'm feeling now...'  
She walks in about a half hour later to the smell of cooking. Good cooking by the smell, and peeking over his shoulder it looks good too.  
"Dinner?"  
"Yep." He pours the entirety of the pot into his bowl, and sits down without another word. Sighing in disgust she opens the icebox, only to close it a second later with an indignant look.  
"You took the last sausage?"  
Silently, he leans back and indicates the plate next to his bowl. The sausage. He takes a bite, and stares at her while chewing with deliberate slowness.  
"Delicious." He says, and turns back to his stew.  
"How about you purchase your own food?" She says. "Do you think I can afford to feed us both? What was it you said? Half mine? So why don't you fill half the icebox before you start helping yourself, you insufferable hog!"  
"How about you appreciate that someone actually wants to be in your miserable, spinster presence?"  
Spinster? Did he just call me a spinster?  
"Yeah, you're right Levi. I guess I don't appreciate you enough." Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she rests her chin on his shoulder. She can feel him relax and continues. "The least I can do is afford you one miserable sausage."  
She straightens up then, and walks out of the room. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, she takes a bite of the sausage and continues walking. He looks down. The plate is empty.  
"Delicious." She calls.  
"Are you going to bed?" He asks, looking up from his work after about an hour. She doesn't answer him and continues past. He gets up to follow, and she shuts her door immediately, bare inches from his face.  
"You know you can't ignore me forever, dumbass. Open the door."  
Nothing.  
"Heather..." The door swings open a moment later, surprising him. Grabbing his wrist, she pulls him onto the bed and throws the blanket over their heads. Snuggling onto her side, she gives him an amused glance.  
"Do you remember the times you got to spend the night here?"  
His recall of the time prior to his mom's death is still spotty and unreliable, and he sits thinking for a moment.  
"Vaguely...." He replies, curious as to where this was going.  
"We told each other 'scary' stories one night. Well, neither of our stories were THAT scary, they sucked in fact." She eyes him playfully for a moment before continuing in a ridiculous spooky voice. "Your story was called.... The Mold in the Corner!" She can't contain herself any longer, and bursts into gales of laughter.   
"Hey! Like your ghost story was any better!"  
"Mold, Levi? Come on!"  
"Mold is disgusting. It grows, it spreads, it can get you sick. Tell me that's not frightening!" He argues, trying to keep the laughter from his face and failing.  
"You could have made it like a mind control mold...."  
"Heather, what the fuck?!"  
"A mold that turns it's helpless victims into mindless slaves...."  
"Heather....."  
"Slaves who's only purpose is to feed the mold, and see to it's inevitable spread...."  
"That's it. I'm gone." Hopping off her bed, he goes to the door and stops to look back. "Told you you couldn't stay mad."  
"And see? You're definitely not a big enough man to be in my bed..." She says, eyeing him playfully.  
He stops at the door and slowly turns around. "Oh? Really Heather?" He dashes back towards the bed and she squeals, throwing the blanket over her head. Jumping onto the bed, he pulls the blanket down to look at her.  
"I knew it. You don't want to sleep alone. You're scared of the mold, too!"  
Grabbing him, she yanks him down and throws the covers over them both.  
"Nah, I just figured you'd need me to protect you!"  
Chuckling, he wraps her up in his arms.  
"And no matter how many times she cleaned it up...the mold...came...back!" She whispers menacingly.  
"Damn you, woman!"


	8. Part 8

He's standing in the entryway watching her thoughtfully. Curious, she smiles and turns to grab some cups from the cupboard above her.  
"Good morning...do you want tea?"  
"Please."  
She serves out, and sits across from him toying with her cup; apparently not really interested in drinking it.  
"So talk, Levi. I know there are things you want to say."  
He takes a deep breath. "I want you to come above ground."  
"Levi, we discussed this and-"  
"Just hear me out. I can sponsor you. You can run your business aboveground. If we sell your house, we can put you in another."  
"I don't want to sell this house."  
"Heather, I'll pull the half of this is mine by law card if I have to."  
"God dammit Levi, STOP! This is my mother's house! How can you ask this of me? You know, I regret ever giving you that box." She stands up and walks out of the room.   
Sighing, he gives her a moment then follows. She has her back to him, looking out the window. He walks up behind her and tentatively reaches out, taking her hands in his. She doesn't move away and he wraps his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder.  
"What do YOU want, Heather?" She thinks on this for a very long time and he lets her. It's not easy. He wants an answer, and of course he wants only one answer. God this is hard.  
She turns around to face him, placing her hands on his chest. "I want to be with you. I do. I don't know why, I barely remember you. But you make me feel safe, and I feel like it was always like this. But I won't let you push me into a change I am not ready for, or willing to make. I'm not entirely sure you even know what the hell you really want from me, and I think you need to distance yourself and really think on that."   
He's shocked, he doesn't think he would have ever heard anything like that from anybody. Why would anyone want to be with him? It's overwhelming, and causes a pain in his chest that he finds isn't necessarily unpleasant.   
"Make no mistake Levi, I don't want to feel how I'm feeling but I do. I'm fine on my own I just....I...I don't know."  
He pulls her tighter. "I know exactly how you feel.." Pressing his cheek to hers for a moment, he grabs his cloak and heads for the door.  
'I love this woman. She may think otherwise, but I do.'  
He dashes up the stairs and almost trips over two cadets in the process.  
"C-captain!" They exclaim guiltily. Rolling his eyes, he continues past.  
"Why don't you take that somewhere more private, dumbasses. You've got 15 minutes. If you're not on the training field on time, it's latrines for a week."  
Stunned silence follows.  
'15 minutes, Levi?', he thinks to himself as he enters his quarters. 'That's barely time enough to get started. Wow, I really am a bit of a dick....'  
'I'm happy...'  
'I'm actually genuinely happy, aren't I?'  
'Fucking weird....'  
Bursting out in laughter, he grabs his ODM gear and gets ready for training.


	9. Part 9

One Month Later:  
"Hey!" She turns and smiles waiting for him to catch up to her. He takes the basket of vegetables from her and looks at her questioningly. "Where are we going with this?"  
"Over to that abandoned house over there. There's some little kids holed up there. and I would like them to have some food."  
"Just like your mother." He says grinning, as she opens the door.  
"Hey kids, hungry?"  
They all clamor around excitedly, but it's not the food that interests them.  
"Wow! Are you Captain Levi?"  
"Can you really kill titans with your bare hands?"  
"Can I touch your swords?"  
He backs away from their grubby little hands in horror, and Heather laughs merrily.  
"And you're the one talking about a dozen brats running around? Come on kids, leave the Captain alone. It's time to eat."  
As they're leaving, one of the little kids whispers, "I bet he kisses her.......on the LIPS!"  
Heather giggles as she shuts the door.  
"Do you come here every night?" He asks, placing his hand on the small of her back.  
"I do."  
"That's very sweet of you Heather."  
She shrugs. "It's what a decent person should do."  
"Alright, well now I want you to come with me."  
"Where?"  
"Just come with me Heather." He grins and offers her his arm. She cautiously takes it, and lets him lead her above ground. Nodding to the occasional greeting, Levi leads her to a small park overlooking the canal. It's quiet, and the sun is just dipping below the horizon.  
"It's lovely here Levi, thank you for bringing me."  
"I like coming here from time to time, especially when I need to clear my head."  
"Is there something wrong? Can I help?"  
"Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to share this with you."  
They are silent for quite some time before he speaks again, and he does it so quietly she almost misses the statement entirely.  
"You make me happy Heather. I want the chance to do the same for you."  
She stops walking and turns to face him. "No you just like the idea of me."  
'Insightful brat', he thinks and then turns to face her. "Maybe initially that was true. It's different now."  
They continue walking in silence, linking hands comfortably.   
"Hey." She says suddenly, grinning mischievously.  
He looks at her curiously. "What's up?"  
She slaps his arm and dashes off. "Tag, you're it!"  
Grinning, he takes off after her. She's surprisingly quick, and just as he reaches out to grab her she spins away laughing. Dodging and feinting, she turns to face him.  
"Are you going to make me chase you forever?"  
"Yes!" She yells, laughing and taking off again.  
Giving a playful growl, he puts on a burst of speed. Catching her in his arms, they fall to the ground and roll several times with her landing on top. Grabbing her tighter, he rolls again and pins her to the ground.   
"Levi you turd!"   
He laughs at this for a moment and then turns serious, wrestling with the question that's nagging him.  
"I had this dream the other night, and I was wondering...did...did I ever kiss you?" Blushing furiously, he turns away. She looks up in surprise and after a moment bursts out laughing.  
"You did!" She exclaims, reaching out to slap him.  
"You remember?"  
"I remember NOW! You kissed me more than once!"  
"What?! No!"  
"Yes! The first time was in the garden!"  
"And we argued about whether parents kiss or not, am I right Heather?"  
"Yep!"  
"Well....tell me about the other time?"  
She laughs. "TIMES, Levi. God, it was like after you got that first kiss you were trying to kiss me all the time!"  
He gives her an annoyed but good humored look.  
"Seriously?"  
"Any chance you got! And you'd piss me off so bad when I would be playing with friends and you would drag me away. Fucking manly of you."  
"Okay", he says sheepishly. "I do remember that."  
"It was always on the cheek though, never on the lips."  
"Oh, so I never kissed you on the lips, hu?"  
"Nope."  
"What if I kissed you now?"  
Heather bursts into merry laughter. "Oh my! What would I do?" Turning serious, she holds his gaze steadily. "I'd let you....might even kiss you back."  
"Oh?" He leans in closer, heart pounding. Just as his lips touch hers a soldier runs up, panting.  
"Are you kidding?" He groans, looking up in irritation. "What...do you...want?"  
"I'm sorry, sir. Commander Erwin needs to see you immediately!"  
Sighing, Levi gets to his feet and pulls Heather up with him. "I'm sorry, I don't know how long this will take. Will you come with me? You can wait in my quarters."  
Knowing he'll just argue if she disagrees, she gives a nod and they head back to the barracks.  
After the meeting concludes, Levi heads to his quarters to meet with Heather. He's in an irritable mood, and not wanting to deal with anyone's bullshit. 'Hopefully Heather doesn't feel like being difficult. I don't think she is going to like what I have to tell her.' With a sigh, he opens the door and looks around. Where is she??   
"Heather? Hey!" He doesn't see her immediately, causing a sliver of panic to embed itself in the pit of his stomach. Glancing quickly in the bedroom, he finds her asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, he chuckles and goes into his small kitchen area. She left a vase of flowers in the center and their scent fills the room. He places the ring box opened next to the vase.  
'You're fucking insane, Levi.' He thinks to himself returning to the bedroom. 'Are you really going to do this?' The first thing she sees upon awakening is Levi lying on his side watching her; propped on one elbow. He's grinning.  
"You're adorable when you sleep."  
"As opposed to the awake me?"  
"Not comparable. When you are awake you take my breath away."  
He moves in to kiss her. Terror and lust intermingle leaving him feeling sick and wanting all at the same time. 'This feeling is too huge! How can anyone stand it?' Her lips meet his, and the combined feeling of her arms around him and her sweet mouth is overwhelming. 'My God, I've been waiting so long for this I just never knew it.' The moment is over quicker than he would like, as when his exploring hand reaches up to cup her breast she pulls away.  
"Levi, stop."  
"What? Why?!" He leans in again, but she turns her head away.  
"Too much. Please, slow it down."  
"I don't understand. I thought you wanted to be with me." His voice is trembling with the force of his feelings and the hurt is evident in his gaze. This hurts her more than he realizes, but she needs to make him understand.   
"I want to get to know you again. It's been years, Levi. This is important to me and I won't just skip past everything to take such a huge step."  
He sighs and rests his forehead on hers.  
"Alright." He gets up and goes to the kitchen, and starts a pot of tea hoping to take his mind off of how miserable he feels. She joins him a moment later.  
"This is my mother's ring...."  
"It was in the box with the letter."  
She smiles fondly, toying with the box a moment before putting it back down.  
"But why is it sitting out open?"  
Uncomfortable silence follows, as after that shut down he got in the bedroom, he's afraid he'll push her away.  
"Levi, were you honestly going to ask me that already?"  
He looks away embarrassed.  
"Oh God Levi...."  
"Have you ever been in an intimate relationship with anyone? Because I haven't. I never wanted it, never cared. I don't know how to process half of what I'm feeling right now. I feel like I had a better handle on this shit when I was a kid!"  
"Levi...."  
"I'm not finished. I want you to know that I will continue to ask you until you say yes. I know what I feel. I may be a complete idiot about how to go about this, but I'm not an idiot about that."   
"I'm sorry, Levi. I'm sorry I can't be whatever the hell you think you need me to be. I'm sorry that I'm not where you're at. But I do care about you, I want you to know that much...." She reaches out to stroke his face, but he jerks away and avoids her gaze. With a sigh, she heads for the door.  
"Wait."  
"I should be heading home, Levi."  
He pulls her to the couch to sit with him, and takes her hands in his. " I have to leave on a mission. I want you to stay here with me tonight. Please. I know you're going to insist on being difficult, but I don't want anything like the other night happening again."  
"I have a business to run Levi."  
"In the event that I'm gone longer than anticipated, I asked Erwin to have a pass available to you, so you can come back here at night. He wasn't happy about it, but it's taken care of."  
"I'm not surprised that he's unhappy."  
"Forget him Heather, I think he's upset because he thinks I'm putting you above my duty."  
"I can't say I disagree, Levi."  
He opens his mouth to argue, but closes it again. 'Are they right? No. Of course they're not. Plenty of people maintain relationships in the military, and successfully to boot. Why shouldn't I be able to have this, too? How come everyone is so dead set on me going without?'  
"Levi?"  
Shaken out of his thoughts, he looks at her questioningly.   
"I was asking you something. Can you focus on coming back to me? Alive? Can you put me out of your thoughts for the duration of this expedition?"  
"There isn't a second that goes by that I'm not thinking of you, Heather."  
"Then you don't really love me. You may think that's what this is, but it's not. I'll stay here, if that's what you want of me, but I can't stand the idea of being your liability, and I won't."  
He doesn't answer for a long time, lost in thought. When he finally turns back to her, he's smiling.  
"I want nothing more than to come back to you. I will do my job well, like I always do."Turning her face towards him, he softly kisses her before continuing. "I've never really cared how I came back, as long as everyone around me did. I care now. You are the reason I will come back through those gates."  
Sighing, she rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.  
"That's all I needed to hear."


	10. Part Ten

The underground is quiet, aside from a few MP's making their nightly rounds. Watching them pass, Levi slips from the shadows into an adjacent alley.  
"Did you find anything promising?"  
"I did." Farlan answers back, grinning.  
"Well? Out with it."  
"There's a house just south of here, looks promising, and there's even access to the aboveground along the side of the house. We could clean the house of valuables, gain access to...."  
"No."  
"Levi, this is a prime opportunity to..."  
"I said no." After a moments thought, he looks to Farlan curiously. "Show me."  
"Follow me." Smirking, Farlan leads the way down the street, moving expertly from shadow to shadow. They arrive at the house moments later, and Levi finds himself unable to take his eyes off the garden. It's awash in moonlight, and for some strange reason feels so achingly familiar. Startled by a sudden light in the window beside said garden, he pulls back into the shadows and watches curiously.   
A silhouette comes into view, and Levi watches it's owner intently. A female, and from what he can make out, probably about his age. His eyes widen as she begins to get ready for bed, and despite his best efforts he can't seem to tear his gaze away from the sight of her.  
'Why the fuck do I care about some stupid girl getting naked? Fuck. I need to get out of here.' Grabbing Farlan, he heads back down the empty street.  
"Keep an eye on this house."  
"Gladly." Farlan says, taking another quick look which results in a friendly slap on the back of the head from Levi.  
"Preferrably when the lady of the house isn't dressing."  
"So are we going to hit this house after all?" Farlan glances at Levi curiously.  
"No."  
Farlan stops in his tracks, and sighs in exasperation.  
"Why are we even wasting our time on this then?"  
"I don't know." Levi responds, shrugging. "Just make sure she's safe."

Smiling at the bittersweet memory, Levi rolls over to look at the woman next to him. 'You've given me more than I deserve, Heather. Even back then, I was protecting you and didn't even know it.' She opens her eyes a moment later, and her instant smile makes him happier than he thinks possible. 'You are everything to me.' he thinks, giving her a quick kiss.  
"I have to get ready to go", he says kissing her again. "I left my key on the table." He gets up and starts getting dressed, and she throws the blankets over her head with an embarrassed squeal.  
"Levi!"  
Crawling back onto the bed he pulls the blanket down, grinning.  
"What's wrong Heather?"  
"You know perfectly well, Levi! Have some decency."  
Snuggling close, he throws the blanket over the two of them.  
"What? I'm wearing underwear...."  
"Levi!"  
She lets him kiss her for a couple minutes before giving him a playful slap. "You're going to be late."  
"Fine, fine. Do you need anything before I go?"  
She shakes her head. Getting up, he gives her one final kiss, finishes getting dressed and heads out the door.  
He's gone for two days, and despite his reservations about leaving the mission actually goes pretty well. They lost no soldiers, and managed to bring back a titan for Hanji. Even Erwin seemed pleased, and mostly because of Levi's performance.  
"You did well."  
"When don't I?"  
"When you have your head up some girl's ass." He turns and gives Levi a sour look.  
"Erwin, I really wish you would lay off about this. I'm not giving up this chance. I can be both. I can be your model soldier and a good hus-" He shakes his head as if to clear it. "I can be what ever the hell she'll let me be."  
"That just doesn't fit in with the Levi I know."  
"Well the Levi you know has always wanted to have more than what he was given. He just never thought it possible for many reasons. Those things were always there, Erwin. I don't get why that's so hard to wrap your head around."  
"Because she's now a lia-"  
"You hate her, don't you? You liked things better when my mindset was the same as yours. Relationships are pointless in our line of work. You're wrong, Erwin. They are more important than anything BECAUSE of our line of work. I'm finally seeing this." With that, Levi heads into the barracks and straight for his room. It's late, and the one face he wants to see more than anything should be there. He can't wait to see her smile....  
She's crying.


	11. Part Eleven

Dropping everything at the door, he rushes to sit beside her. He feels sick to his stomach with the possibilities of what could possibly be wrong. Did someone hurt her? Trying to quell the anger that's building, he strokes her hair softly.  
"What's wrong?"  
She takes a few moments to pull herself together before speaking. Sniffling she looks up at him with pained eyes.  
"My house Levi. Someone burned down my house. All my mom's things, my memories. Gone."  
"Shit. I'm so sorry this happened to you. Was it Eadley's crew? Any ideas?"  
"How should I know? It could be anyone. Could have been the same guys that broke in the other night."  
"No. Those guys won't be a problem ever again. Trust me." Feeling guilty, a small part of him wonders if she was right when she told him to stay away. Is it because of me? Pulling her tighter, he kisses the top of her head.  
"I have my savings, we can buy a house up here and-"  
"Levi, no! I can't ask that of you!" Shaking her head, she turns away.  
"Yes. That house was half mine, if you'd rather think of it in a more practical light. Also, how are you going to pay for one yourself? Trust me, I have plenty saved up. It's not like I have a shit ton to spend money on."  
" I can get a job, and rent a room until-"  
"NO!" He grabs her arms and gives her a rough shake. "You will NOT live at a stinking brothel! We'll think of something, but I'll be damned if I allow you to settle that easily!"  
"I don't have to work there to rent a room Levi, you know this."  
"I don't care. We'll find a house. No fucking way you're going back down there now."  
"How did the expedition go?" She asks, desperately wanting to change the subject.  
"Better than expected. Even captured a titan," He says, giving in thankfully to the subject change.  
"Serious?" She looks at him with round, scared eyes. "I wanna see!"  
Laughing he just hugs her tighter. 'Why am I not surprised? You and Hanji would get on quite well.'  
"Lets go to bed, hu? I'm exhausted."  
"Yes, of course." She gets up, giving him a light peck on the cheek. "You must be. I'm sorry to have kept you up."  
They lie in silence, lost in their own thoughts and just as she's drifting off to sleep he whispers.  
"Marry me."  
"No, Levi."  
Chuckling, he kisses her cheek and drifts off to sleep.

"Levi!"  
He turns around, waiting for Farlan to catch up to him.  
"That house you asked me to watch?"  
"Yeah?" Levi stops walking, immediately interested.  
"Another gang is planning to hit it. Tonight."  
Sitting on an upturned crate along the side of the road, Levi contemplates his next move. 'What do I want to do about this? Fuck, why do I even care? It's two houses down from mom's brothel, that's all. Surely no other reason than that.' He can't help but to think there's more to it than that, though. He also can't manage to get the silhouette out of his thoughts either.  
'Fuck.' He turns to Farlan.  
"Take care of the usual business tonight, I'll take care of this."  
"Levi, why are we wasting time with this?"  
"Farlan, have we ever robbed a woman?"  
"Fuck no! Shit, Levi!"  
"Well these guys obviously have no qualms with it. If they have no qualms with this, what else might they do?"  
"Fuck. Let me help."  
"No Farlan, keep shit running as usual. I've got this." He walks away, not waiting for a response.  
He observes three men on the porch, one on his knees picking the lock. Walking quietly up the porch, he leans against the bannister; hands in his pockets.  
"Do you guys seriously not have anything better to do on a Friday night?"  
Turning abruptly, the lock picker flings himself at Levi and is tossed off the porch. The two other guys rush him, and ducking a swing from the first; Levi punches the second gentleman in the gut and kicks out behind him catching the other man in the ribs. Spinning around, he sends a left and right hook into the face of the man before him, who has decided he has had enough. One guy is left, and he tackles Levi off the porch. Grappling in the dirt in front of the house, they both freeze as light pours out at them through the open door. It's her. The girl in the window. The assailant gets up and runs, and Levi turns his back to her; not wanting to be seen.  
'Why am I so concerned with her seeing me or not?' He wonders.  
"Excuse me? Sir? Are you alright?" Comes the sweet voice behind him, and it causes a rather pleasant chill to course down his spine.  
"Fine." He walks away without another word or even a glance.  
"Thank you..." She calls after him.

"Hey." He says, looming over the top of her sleeping form. She doesn't stir.  
"Hey." He says again, poking her playfully in the nose.  
"Nnnngh." Is her only response as she rolls over, throwing the covers over her head.  
Rolling his eyes and grinning, Levi reaches under the covers and pinches her smartly on the rear. She flies upright, eyes wide.  
"Levi!" She slaps him, and rolls over top of him grinning. "Never learned how to be a gentleman, did you?"  
He laughs. "Never claimed to be one in the first place." He rolls her over and steals a kiss.  
"Why are you waking me up at two in the morning?"  
"Sorry, I'm an early bird. Go back to sleep, I can talk to you later."  
"Something was on your mind, what?"  
"Do you remember the time you were almost robbed?"  
"That was you that stopped it, wasn't it?"  
"It was."  
"Levi, I'm so glad you're getting these memories back. And I honestly wonder if things would have went differently if you hadn't walked away that night."  
"Me too." He stares at her for a moment before continuing.  
"Marry me."  
"No Levi." She says with a smile.  
"If I would have talked to you that night, we'd be married by now. I'm sure of it."  
"Maybe..." She says with a mischievous grin and throws the blankets back over her head. Smiling, Levi goes to his desk to get some work done.


	12. Part Twelve

"How about this one?" Levi asks, indicating the house in question.  
"It's kind of big....do we really need this much space?"  
"I hope so." He says with a raise of his eyebrow and a grin.  
She gives him a playful shove.   
"Marry me."  
"Nope." She turns and goes up the steps to look in the windows, Levi close behind.  
"It's perfect. It's within walking distance of the market and the garrison....lots of space for a garden....room for the brats to run around...." He wraps his arms around her, taking her by surprise.  
"Levi!" She turns in his grasp and locks her wrists behing his neck. "You're too pushy, I swear!"  
"Apparently not pushy enough. You still haven't said yes. Well? What about it? This one good?"  
She lets out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Okay. Yeah, let's do it."  
Grinning ear to ear, Levi picks her up bridal style and walks down the steps. "Let's go to the capitol and see about that purchase then."  
Laughing, she slaps him affectionately on the shoulder. "Put me down dumbass."

"Levi", his mom says warmly picking him up and cuddling him. "Do you know that someday Heather is going to be your wife? You'll have a better life than I'm giving you. Owning a business, having children, having the life I should have...." She shakes her head and laughs. "Nevermind all that, your mother is rambling. Now go out and play. Mother is having company." He walks through the downstairs. He doesn't like the smell of smoke and cheap booze, but the ladies are kind and always have sweet words and a treat for him. Waving cheerfully, he heads out. His friend is sitting on her steps, crying.  
"That boy kissed me!" She declares indignantly and points to a group of kids across the street. Angry at the treatment, he stomps across the street; little fists clenched. A little ball of rage, Levi tears mercilessly into the unfortunate boy and the mp's break it up.  
'Joseph Eadley...fucking waste.' He thinks, rolling over and tossing his legs over the side of the bed. Yawning, he nudges the sleeping woman beside him.  
"Get up."  
"What time is it?"  
"Just get up, I have a surprise for you." He gets up and dresses, leaving her alone in the room. He makes a quick pot of tea, and sits at the table, waiting for her. She walks in a few moments later, and he pulls her into his lap; resting his head on her chest.  
"Marry me."  
"No."  
"Do you know how much I fucking love you?"  
"Levi, please be patient with me. This is forever you're talking about."  
"Yeah, and forever isn't long enough." With a sigh, he deposits her on her feet and stands up. "Let's go Heather, I have a lot of shit to do today."  
They walk in silence down the mostly empty streets, neither willing to break said silence for the time being. It doesn't take long to get where they're going, and she looks around confused.  
"What are we doing here?"  
"You are officially licensed to operate your stand at this spot. Your papers releasing you from the underground have been approved." She smiles in delight and wraps him in a hug, which he only returns half-heartedly.   
"Levi, this spot is perfect. It's close to the barracks and it gets a lot of traffic." She turns to him, happily. Her look slowly melts away to concern.  
"Uh huh."  
"Levi, what's wrong?" He doesn't answer and she sighs in exasperation. "Please tell me what's wrong?" He still doesn't answer.  
"Levi.."  
"Marry me."  
"No."  
Taking her face in his hands he gives her forehead a quick kiss.  
"Eren and Connie will gather up supplies today to build your stand. Mikasa and Sasha will be busy transplanting your garden behind the house. I will-"  
"I hope Sasha doesn't eat everything!"  
He smiles despite the hurt thats gnawing at him.  
"I will see you around lunchtime, ok?"  
She smiles. "Okay."


	13. Part Thirteen

"Well there's the miserable fuck we all know and....well, the miserable fuck we know anyway." Sitting across from him, Miche eyes him in concern.  
"What's eating you?"  
"Hopefully a titan. And soon. Let's end this miserable bullshit once and for all."  
"What?? This isn't about Heather is it?"   
"I...I feel like the second she walked back into my life, everything picked up where it left off. Like almost 30 years hadn't gone by at all. Whatever that means, we were just kids but...."  
"But?"  
"I want to protect her. I want to care for her. And the more the memories come back, I see that it really HAS always been this way. No wonder I was so miserable when Kenny took me away. I never saw her again."  
"Kenny?"  
"An Asshole. Never mind him."  
"There was a will, Miche. In it I was named co owner of her mom's business and not only that but an arranged marriage agreement between my mom and hers. We were supposed to be wed at 18."  
"You married?" Miche chuckles. "I could never imagine."  
"Yeah, and if that happened I never would have joined the scouts."  
"True, but never mind that. How does that affect now?"  
He's silent for way too long....  
"Whoa, Levi? Are you honestly considering that?"  
"I've been asking her for months now. She always says no. Why won't she love me?" He sighs and walks away wishing the conversation didn't take place.

She's sitting on her porch alone. The past four days have been miserable. Where is he? Of course, mom won't let her go to the brothel and check up on him, and she understands but a small part of her wants to be defiant and sneak away anyhow. The day is drawing to a close, and with a sigh she stands up. She will begin her vigil again tomorrow, she will....  
There he is! Oh god, what happened to him? He looks so sick! Like he's been starving! And who is that tall man carrying him away from me? Where is Kuchel? Panicked, she races down the steps.  
"Levi!"  
He looks up at her, and the sadness in his eyes breaks her heart. He waves, and continues to stare at her with those broken eyes.  
She tries to push her way through the teeming mass of adults, but to no avail. All she can do is watch him move farther and farther away from her, until he's nothing but a tiny speck in the distance.....  
"Levi!" She sobs brokenly, "Please don't go don't leave me!" With a wail of despair, she races up the stairs and into the house.

Sitting up in bed, she looks in panic at the sleeping man next to her. Letting out a slow breath to hopefully calm her racing heart, she lies back down and wraps her arms around him tightly. Opening his eyes groggily, he looks at her.  
"Heather?" His concern is immediate. "You're crying, what is it?" He pulls her tightly, kissing the tears streaming down her face.  
"Marry me! Oh Levi, marry me!"  
He smiles.  
"Yes."


End file.
